Thursday, December 04, 2008

Who can speak for the Greens?

Who is authorised to speak for the Greens?

In the recent controversy over Fás chief Exec Roddy Molloy, the Greens denied a media report that they had expressed confidence in Roddy Doyle. They got a retraction on RTE’s Morning Ireland to that effect.

In a subsequent radio debate, Green Cllr Niall O’Brolchain was adamant that “no elected representative” of the party had made such a statement of support.

However, the Indo’s Fionnan Sheahan claimed that the Govt Press secretary assigned to the Greens had made such a statement to the poll corrs, and he offered to produce many witnesses. Sheahan pointed out that this particular official is briefed by the two Green ministers and is mandated to speak on their behalf.

Today’s Morning Ireland interviewed Green Senator Dan Boyle who proposed an extended deferral of the public service pay element of the National Pay Agreement, while that same programme reported a Government denial that it is seeking such a deferral.

If this turns out to require yet another Green u-turn, will we be told that “no elected representative” of the Greens ever made such a call? After all Dan Boyle has been elected to nothing.

Having been rejected by the Cork electorate, he’s only in the Seanad as a Taoiseach’s nominee.